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I gave a short brief at work about business writing and one thing I did highlight was the need to do away with useless business jargons and buzz words.

And I obviously need to practice that myself as I notice that I use the word “basically” a lot.

I know that whenever I wanted to explain something or whenever I’m in a discussion, I will say that word all the time, every time.

I don’t know when I got infected by it but I find that it’s a favourite of many. You hear it wherever you go and with most people whom you speak to.

And I can’t seem to stop it from coming out of my mouth.

When I am speaking and as I think to speak, I’d soon say “basi-”... and I would have no choice but to complete the word and get on with my speech, though my thoughts will be interrupted with some self-chiding going on.

The trick now is to stop my brain from producing that now dreaded and useless word.

I downloaded the app and it is very promising. It isn’t much at the moment with very limited lessons but if Microsoft continues to build on it, it will be a very useful tool.

The AI allows you to be flexible with the responses required from you and thus giving you more freedom in answering the questions in ways that are more relevant to your context.

The beginner level only has four short sections which I completed in less than 20 minutes, and I have just started on the intermediate level where keywords are given for you to use in the reply required.

We had a long break since our last CG bible study and we met for our fifth session today.

We studied the first round of debate between Job and his three friends from Job 4-14. Oh yes, it was a long eleven chapters worth of passage that we tackled bit by bit using the questions in our workbook.

We couldn’t complete the lesson because in the midst of studying and asking questions, we also spent time reflecting on other matters that arose based on the reading of Job and stories we share. And it was valuable.

One takeaway for me was an answer to something that had bugged me for a long, long time.

I find Job a difficult book to figure out. When I read the arguments given by the three friends, I always found that they were not wrong in what they said. But in the end though, the final verdict from God is that they were wrong.

It was also brought up that the book of Psalms says about the same things and so why do we quote and pray the Psalms and not Job?

The conclusion I got was that what the three friends said wasn’t entirely wrong, though at times they were depending on context, but that their version of the truth was not complete.

Their basis was in the retribution theology, with no understanding or knowledge of the grace of God, that God can forgive through the work of his Son even if we are the greatest of sinners.

So in reflection, if we look at the book of Job, Psalms and the New Testament chronologically, Job was at the outset of the revelation of God, and so they only knew so much.

Moving onto Psalms, the psalters knew more from further revelation from the prophets of the time, and by the time we get to the New Testament, God was revealed perfectly in the person and work of Jesus, his Son.

But even that is not fully revealed to us yet. We will definitely see a fuller picture the day we come to see our Lord face to face.

And with that, what can we learn from Job’s three friends?

For me it’s this: we only know so much and so we should not behave like we know it all, even though we are confident in the truth that we have come to believe. (This may swerve us to the other side of the pole where all truth is relative and this is not desireable. But this another story altogether.)

Therefore when we counsel someone or when we are with someone who is suffering a great pain, watch what we say, or say nothing at all but just be there with them. Our presence would serve as a better albeit inadequate comfort.

I find myself in a time where when I want something done or if I need a solution to a work requirement, it is almost always available.

That said, the things I usually need done aren’t so complicated at all - an Excel formula, a business model, data and information or a process map - and there is always something useful I can pick up from the Internet or AppStore.

When I need a complicated Excel formula, I would write a post in this Excel forum, which is still very active, with the problem and solution I needed, and more often than not in less than half an hour, someone would respond with a formula.

When I need an easier way to draw a process map without having to spend so much time drawing boxes and arrows in PowerPoint, I found Q FlowChart a free iOS iPad app where I can draw process maps with just my finger. I created a simple process map in less in 5 minutes, saved in jpeg and exported it over for use.

We live in a world where tools are always available. We are very industrious and innovative. When there is a need and there is a way, it will be made.

Apparently, Plants vs. Zombies’s creator George Fan was fired because he objected to the newer version’s pay-to-win model, which I wasn’t keen on as well. Why should I pay to win?

It was reported that “when EA proposed its sequel - Plants vs. Zombies 2: It's About Time - has a pay-to-win model that supports in-app purchasing, Fan pushed back. He's like "I dunno, that's not really a good idea and I don't want to do that with my game."”

And now the original game is being retired and removed from the Apple Store. They did relaunch a free version of it but I think it takes to a pay-to-win model as well. I have just started playing it and so far I have been watching endless and irritating ad videos in between games.

And I just brought up the subject of lifetime purchases for devices with my colleague and this is a case in point where lifetime is not forever.

I was having a team meeting when my colleague said it is frustrating engaging with people who do not realize how incompetent they are. And this reminded me of an article I just read a couple of days ago: Why Incompetent People Think They Are Amazing?

This 5-minute video explains why some of us overestimate our capabilities and some even underestimate it. How is it that when we’re unskilled, we can’t see our own faults, and when we’re exceptionally competent, we don’t perceive how unusual our abilities are?

My takeaway from this is to ask for feedback even if it is hard to hear, and there is just this one thing which has been bugging my mind for the last couple of weeks. I need to gather up the courage to ask for feedback already.

I was scheduled to attend a meeting with the bosses today at 4:30pm. I got prepared, walked over to the venue and waited to be called in.

And I waited for one whole hour before I went in.

And what did I do during the hour? Fret? Complain? Got annoyed?

Nope. I did none of those.

As much as I did not pick up some work to do, since I am not sure when I will be called in and I didn't really want to get into the zone and get lost and lose focus on the stuff I'm suppose to present to the bosses, I opened my Kindle and started reading.

And it was a good solid one hour of reading about Praying Backwards by Bryan Chapell.

These times are hard to come by, but it's the golden pockets of time that I get to do some stuff of value.

We always tell ourselves we don't have time.

Why don't you read?

No time.

Why don't you exercise?

No time.

Why don't you learn something?

No time.

But deep down we know that time is not the main reason why we don't those things we know that are good for us, things that take a lot of effort and time.

It all boils down to our intention, our purpose and what we want out of our lives.

A friend asked me what expository preaching is and I thought she deserved a more complete and authorized explanation. So I went looking for resources and found this more than an excellent explanation of what expository preaching is by Bryan Chapell.

I spent the whole afternoon revising my language flashcards and I suddenly found myself asking this pertinent question: am I wasting time learning a language I will never master or use?

I know I have been very fervent about languages lately and I have been learning Mandarin for the last eight months and Korean for the last eleven. I would spend at least 30 minutes a day initially but as I move on to more complicated parts of the languages, I am now taking at least an hour or two every day to complete the flashcards.

That is a lot of time on a daily basis, and so I do wonder now if I am wasting my time.

I am quite happy that I am progressing well with my Mandarin, compared to the times when I struggle so hard to learn it but never got beyond just knowing a few common characters. But I still could not think or speak freely in Mandarin, and I still find reading anything in that language difficult. For example, when I had dinner with my mother-in-law yesterday evening, I was helping her with her iPhone settings. But I could not make out what was what when Chinese was the default language.

More so with Korean. I can now say and write really simple sentences but what on earth am I going to use it for?

The one reason I will not be stopping though is because I already invested so much time in them.

And my current take on it is this: Chinese is suppose to be my so-called mother-tongue and with it being so widely spoken here, I shall persevere on with it.

As for Korean, I shall take it as a hobby and what more, I am making really good friends with several Korean language partners and so I’m sticking on with it, for now.

I am okay when I have my own private prayers because I will just speak my mind without much thought about structure or form. I wouldn’t think of what I should say, I will just speak my mind and from the heart, sometimes casual and sometimes formal.

But when I pray in public or when I attend prayer meetings, I get quite stressed up as I don’t usually know what to say. I do know what to pray for, especially since it’s a prayer request. I just don’t know how to pray it.

I also hold the view that we do not treat prayer like a wishing well, asking only for things we want, or reminding God to keep his promises, as if he needs any reminding.

So to the very core of it, I do not really understand prayer. To me, God already knows what’s best and will give us his best, whether in a form of a blessing or discipline, he knows what is best for us.

So then, why and what do I pray?

I pray because it’s commanded by God and so I do it. But what do I pray about. I am not exactly sure and so other than taking on how Jesus taught us to pray, I would just speak my mind and my heart.

I also began to see what books I have on prayer and found I this in my stash.

Praying Backwards, Transform Your Prayer Life by Beginning in Jesus’ Name

by Bryan Chapell

I have just started reading it and I like it. I do not want to rush through it and thought I’d read it bit by bit to learn and practice as I go.

Here are some gems so far from the Introduction and first portion of the first chapter:

When we pray “in Jesus’ name,” we pray for his sake more than our own. We still present our desires and concerns to God, but we do so in the context of yielding our priorities to Christ’s priorities.

In this fallen world you cannot avoid suffering; you can have peace in the midst of it. You cannot avoid trials; you can have confidence of their purpose. You cannot bind God by your prayers; you can guarantee his blessing. You cannot direct the will of God; you can pray according to his will and rest in the assurance of his love. You can pray knowing that God will marshal the powers of heaven to accomplish on earth all he knows is best for your eternity. Praying in Jesus’ name is the key.

We approach the throne of grace without the burden of our sin and with the righteousness of our Savior. We ask for his blessing based on God’s wisdom, not ours. We trust in his faithfulness, not in the adequacy of our faith.

I especially like what Chapell says here: We trust in his faithfulness, not in the adequacy of our faith.

I always berate myself for not praying enough, for not reading his Word enough, for not keeping close to God enough, and I realized I have been depending a lot on what I have done or not done to keep this relationship with God, when at the end of it all, it is God himself who first sought me, and who first call to fellowship and commune with me.

So the next time when I am reminded to pray or read the Bible or just to be in his presence, I must not do it in guilt that I have not done enough, but to simply be there with the ever-present Emmanuel, God who is with us, who is with me.

I have been enjoying music streaming for a year now through Apple Music and I started to wonder today how do artistes make a living these days. How do the replay and the many, many times that I listen to their music contribute to their income?

Gone were the days when they can really earn by selling copies of their albums or CDs. But most people do streaming these days, or worse, illegally download bootleg copies of music without paying.

So how do they make money to survive?

I googled it and found this very interesting infographics from Information is Beautiful (what an interesting sounding site, I shall be checking them out more soon). Do go check it out in the website since it’s not so clear here.

I read Room by Emma Donoghue back in 2014 and was so captivated with it that I set my mind to watch the movie version when I found out that it will be made into one.

But I had forgotten about it and only watched it today, and it was just as awesome.

Room (2015)

I am not going to give any spoilers because this movie is a must-watch as much as the book is a must-read.

What I can say is that it is about a mother and her five-year old son who were incarcerated in a room, hence the title. And it's about the bond of love between mother and child, and family, about acceptance, and healing.